Background Previous research showed that weight-reducing diets increase appetite sensations and/or circulating ghrelin concentrations for up to 36 months, with transient or enduring perturbations in circulating concentrations of the satiety hormone peptide YY. Objective This study assessed whether a diet that is higher in protein and low in glycemic index (GI) may attenuate these changes. Methods 136 adults with pre-diabetes and a body mass index of ?25 kg/m2 underwent a 2-month weight-reducing total meal replacement diet. Participants who lost ?8% body weight were randomized to one of two 34-month weight-maintenance diets a higher-protein and moderate-carbohydrate (CHO) diet with low GI, or a moderate-protein and higher-CHO diet with moderate GI. Both arms involved recommendations to increase physical activity. Fasting plasma concentrations of total ghrelin and total peptide YY, and appetite sensations, were measured at 0 months (pre-weight loss), at 2 months (immediately post-weight loss), and at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Results There was a decrease in plasma peptide YY concentrations and an increase in ghrelin after the 2-month weight-reducing diet, and these values approached pre-weight-loss values by 6 and 24 months, respectively (P = 0.32 and P = 0.08, respectively, vs. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/jzl184.html 0 months). However, there were no differences between the two weight-maintenance diets. Subjective appetite sensations were not affected by the weight-reducing diet nor the weight-maintenance diets. While participants regained an average of ~50% of the weight they had lost by 36 months, the changes in ghrelin and peptide YY during the weight-reducing phase did not correlate with weight regain. Conclusion A higher-protein, low-GI diet for weight maintenance does not attenuate changes in ghrelin or peptide YY compared with a moderate-protein, moderate-GI diet. Clinical Trial Registry ClinicalTrials.gov registry ID NCT01777893 (PREVIEW) and ID NCT02030249 (Sub-study).Purpose Regional differences in dietary patterns in Asian countries might affect the balance of insulin response and sensitivity. However, this notion is yet to be validated. To clarify the regional differences in the insulin response and sensitivity and their relationship to nutrients, we compared the insulin secretory response during an oral glucose tolerance test in Japanese participants. Methods This observational retrospective cohort study analyzed the data from participants with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) from four distinct areas of Japan with regard to the food environment Fukushima, Nagano, Tokushima, and Okinawa based on data available in the Japanese National Health Insurance database. Results Although the glucose levels were comparable among the four regions, the insulin responses were significantly different among the regions. This difference was observed even within the same BMI category. The plot between the insulin sensitivity index (Matsuda index) and insulinAUC/glucoseAUC or the insulinogenic index showed hyperbolic relationships with variations in regions. The indices of insulin secretion correlated positively with fat intake and negatively with the intake of fish, carbohydrate calories, and dietary fiber. Conclusions We found that significant regional differences in insulin response and insulin sensitivity in Japanese participants and that nutritional factors may be linked to these differences independently of body size/adiposity. Insulin response and insulin sensitivity can vary among adult individuals, even within the same race and the same country, and are likely affected by environmental/lifestyle factors as well as genetic traits.The assembly of the newborn's gut microbiota during the first months of life is an orchestrated process resulting in specialized microbial ecosystems in the different gut compartments. This process is highly dependent upon environmental factors, and many evidences suggest that early bacterial gut colonization has long-term consequences on host digestive and immune homeostasis but also metabolism and behavior. The early life period is therefore a "window of opportunity" to program health through microbiota modulation. However, the implementation of this promising strategy requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms governing gut microbiota assembly. Breastfeeding has been associated with a healthy microbiota in infants. Human milk is a complex food matrix, with numerous components that potentially influence the infant microbiota composition, either by enhancing specific bacteria growth or by limiting the growth of others. The objective of this review is to describe human milk composition and to discuss the established or purported roles of human milk components upon gut microbiota establishment. Finally, the impact of maternal diet on human milk composition is reviewed to assess how maternal diet could be a simple and efficient approach to shape the infant gut microbiota.Background Pregnancy-specific vitamin reference ranges are currently not available for maternal vitamin management during pregnancy. This study aimed to propose pregnancy-specific vitamin reference ranges and to investigate the factors influencing vitamin levels during pregnancy. Methods A cross-sectional study that included pregnant women from 17 cities in 4 provinces in western China was conducted from 2017 to 2019. A total of 119,286 subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin E levels were measured. A multivariable linear regression model and restricted cubic spline function were used to analyze the factors related to vitamin levels. Results The reference ranges for vitamin A, D, and E levels were 0.22-0.62 mg/L, 5-43 ng/mL, and 7.4-23.5 mg/L, respectively. A linear relationship was found between vitamin E level and age (β = 0.004; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0037-0.0042; p less then 0.001), and a nonlinear relationship was found between vitamin D (p nonlinear = 0.033) and vitamin A levels and age (p nonlinear less then 0.001). Season, gestational trimester, and regions were related to the levels of the three vitamins in the multivariable models (p less then 0.05). Conclusions The lower limit of vitamin A during pregnancy was the same as the reference value currently used for the general population. The reference ranges of vitamins D and E during pregnancy were lower and higher, respectively, than the currently used criteria for the general population. Vitamin A, D, and E levels differed according to age, season, gestational trimester, and region.